Montgomery County Council

Legislative Branch

Press Releases - County Council

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 18, 2022

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 18, 2022—Today the Montgomery County Council sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan asking for the authority to utilize an opt-out COVID-19 rapid testing system within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

The letter, led by Councilmember Will Jawando, was sent after Council discussion with MCPS on how to safely keep students in school. Currently, the number of students opting-in to the testing program is lower than anticipated, leading to unmitigated spread of COVID-19 infections. Allowing for an opt-out system would mean more students would be tested, which would provide the school system with more information and data to respond to cases and manage the spread of the very infectious Omicron variant. This initiative would help prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks within MCPS and increase the ability to safely continue in-person learning in classrooms.

The letter states, “In order to make the most informed and strategic decisions about public health in schools, we need accurate and thorough data. Opt-out testing – which already has been implemented successfully in the District of Columbia [1] – would greatly increase the accuracy of our data and the efficacy of our local decision-making. Therefore, we urge you to utilize your emergency and executive powers to authorize the utilization of an opt-out model for COVID testing at schools within the State.”

Cosigners include: Council President Gabe Albornoz, Council Vice President Evan Glass, Councilmember Hans Riemer, Councilmember Andrew Friedson, Councilmember Sidney Katz, Councilmember Craig Rice, Councilmember Nancy Navarro and Councilmember Tom Hucker.

The full text of the letter is below and attached.

Dear Governor Hogan:

As our State continues to combat the global COVID-19 emergency, we must seek every opportunity to keep K-12 schools open and safe for our students. We are writing to request your assistance with one such opportunity.

We know that robust testing is essential to informed COVID mitigation strategies in schools and throughout the State. Yet according to Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and Maryland Department of Health (MDH), localities in Maryland lack the authority to permit parents to opt-out of COVID testing programs for their children; according to the MSDE and MDH, the testing programs must be opt-in programs. See K-12 COVID-19 Testing Program Guidebook (rev. 6/30/21) (available at K-12 COVID-19 Testing Guidebook v4.docx (maryland.gov)). Unfortunately, this approach has led to extremely low participation rates in these critically important testing programs, and the dearth of information about school transmissions – particularly among our most vulnerable student populations – is highly troubling.

In order to make the most informed and strategic decisions about public health in schools, we need accurate and thorough data. Opt-out testing – which already has been implemented successfully in the District of Columbia [1] – would greatly increase the accuracy of our data and the efficacy of our local decision-making. Therefore, we urge you to utilize your emergency and executive powers to authorize the utilization of an opt-out model for COVID testing at schools within the State.

Thank you for your consideration of this request, and we look forward to working with you on this critical issue of school safety.

Sincerely,

Jawando